Telescopic table with detachable knife sections

ABSTRACT

A TELESCOPIC TABLE HAS ONE OR TWO END SECTIONS MOUNTED ON THE MAIN TABLE SECTION FOR MOVEMENT TO CONTRACTED POSITION. THE MAIN TABLE MOUNTS A KNIFE PART WHICH, IN THE EXTENDED POSITION, IS SPACED FROM KNIFE PARTS MOUNTED ON THE END SECTION. INTERMEDIATE KNIFE PARTS ARE SEPARABLY MOUNTED ON THE HEADER BY PIN AND SLOT ARRANGEMENT TO INTERCONNECT THE SPACED KNIFE PARTS SUCH THAT UPON REMOVAL THEREOF AND CONTRACTION OF THE HEADER THE MAIN TABLE AND END SECTION KNIFE PARTS FROM A CONTINUOUS KNIFE.

Nev. 30, 9 F. J. HERBSTHOFER 3,623,299

TELESCOPIC TABLE WITH DETACHABLE KNIFE SECTIONS 3 Sheets-Shoot 1 Filed Dec. 2, 1969 QH IMQ 7 A llorm'ys Nov. 30, 1971 F. J. HERBSTHOFER 3,623,299

TELESCOPIC TABLE WITH DETACHABLE KNIFE SECTIONS Filed Dec. 2, 1969 3 Sheets-Shoot a lnvcnlor QMJM J ltorneya Nov. 30, 1971 F. J. HERBSTHOFER 3,523,299

TELESCOPIC TABLE WITH DETACHABLE KNIFE SECTIONS Filed Dec. 2, 1969 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 lnvcnlor F/PA/VZ J HEPBSTHOFLW United States Patent 3,623,299 TELESCDPIC TABLE WITH DETACHABLE KNIFE SECTIONS Franz J. Herbsthofer, Kassel-Harleshausen, Germany, as-

signor to Massey-Ferguson G.m.b.H., Staendeplatz, Germany Filed Dec. 2, 1969, Ser. No. 881,349 Int. Cl. Atlld 41/00 US. Cl. 56-2 8 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A telescopic table has one or two end sections mounted on the main table section for movement to contracted position. The main table mounts a knife part which, in the extended position, is spaced from knife parts mounted on the end sections. Intermediate knife parts are separably mounted to the header by pin and slot arrangements to interconnect the spaced knife parts such that upon removal thereof and contraction of the header the main table and end section knife parts form a continuous knife.

This invention relates to a crop-collecting table for a header for a mobile harvesting machine, especially a combine harvester, hereinafter referred to as a combine.

A combine header consists generally of a crop-collecting table or casing mounted at the front of the combine and having a floor, end walls, and a rear wall with a feed opening, and a cutter bar assembly, a reel and an auger all extending Widthwise of the table. For road travel, the width of the table is inconvenient or even dangerous and to avoid this disadvantage, we have proposed previously that the table, 'reel and auger be lengthadjustable so that they may be contracted to a condition suitable for road transport.

According to the present invention we provide a cropcollecting table for a header for a mobile harvesting machine, and comprising a relatively fixed main portion, and, at least at one end, an end portion mounted with reference to the main portion so as to be movable to a position in which the table is in a contracted condition, a main cutter bar part on the main portion of the table, an end cutter bar part on the end portion of the table, and an intermediate cutter bar part located between said main and end cutter bar parts and detachably mounted on the table to the contracted condition of the latter and operation of said main and end cutter bar parts in said contracted condition of the table.

The main portion of the table may have, on that portion of its floor on which the table end portion is movable, a cut-out at its front edge, forming a recess between the table portions, said intermediate cutter bar portion being attached to an insert which fits into said recess.

The insert may be supported at its ends in the recess by pins carried by the main and end portions of the table and engaging in holes in the ends of the insert, one of the pins being withdrawable from its hole.

The said withdrawable pin may be carried by a rod slidably mounted on the table and be movable by an eccentric control device through the intermediary of a connecting bar.

The said insert may be supported at its rear by an openended slot or slots engaging said rod.

Further, according to the present invention we provide a crop-collecting table for a header comprising a main portion having a main cutter bar part at its front end and extending over less than the full width of the table; end walls on said table, at least one of said end walls including a laterally extending end cutter bar part mating with the cutter bar on the main portion to form a complete cutter bar across the full width of the table.

The main cutter bar part may be situated substantially mid-way between the ends of the main portion at the front edge thereof, and each end wall may be provided with an end cutter bar part.

An embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is an exploded front perspective view of a cropcollecting table according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a detail view to a larger scale.

FIG. 3 is an exploded view showing, in perspective and to a smaller scale, the component parts for a table;

FIGS. 4, 5 and 6 are fragmentary plan views of different tables formed from the component parts; and

FIGS. 7 to 10 are perspective views to a smaller scale showing different tables formed from. the component parts,

FIGS. 7, 8 and 10 correspond to FIGS. 4, 5 and 6, respectively. I

Referring to the drawing, a crop-collecting table has a main portion 1, and opposed end portions 2 and 3 which are slidably mounted on the portion 1 so as to be movable between the expanded condition shown, and a contracted condition suitable for road travel.

The main portion 1 carries a main cutter bar part 4, and the end portions 2, 3 carry end cutter bar parts 5, 6, and, in the collapsed condition of the table the knives 4A, 5A, 6A of the cutter bar parts 4, 5 and 6 are connected by knife clips 7 which have cooperating components 7A, 7B on adjacent ends of the knives. The cutter bar assembly is thus operative in the collapsed condition of the table. The floor 1A of the table portion 1 has, at its front edge, rectangular cut-outs at 8, 9 which extend between the ends of the floor 1A and the adjacent ends of the main cutter bar 4. Thus, when the table is expanded, as shown, rectangular recesses 10, 11 are formed between the main and end portions of the table. In the expanded condition of the table, inserts 12, 13 carrying intermediate cutter bar parts 12A, 13A respectively fit into the recesses 10, 11 as shown in FIG. 2. The floor 2A of the portion 2 has a downwardly projecting flange 14 forming an end wall of the recess 10 and having a hole 15. The floor 1A of the portion 1 has at its ends corresponding flanges 16, with pins 17, which form inner end walls of the recesses 10, 11. The insert 12 has at its outer end a downwardly projecting flange 18 having a hole 19 registered with the hole 15, and at its inner end, a corresponding flange 20 having a hole 21 in which the pin 17 engages. The flanges 18, 20 have notches or open-ended slots 22 at their rear ends, and the slots 22 are engaged by a rod 23. A pin 24 projects through the holes 15, 19 and has a screw-adjustable stop 25 which abuts the flange 14. The pin 24 is carried by a lug 26 at one end of the rod 23, and the latter is slidable in a bracket 27 underneath the floor 1A. At its other end, the rod 2-3 is pivotally connected by a bar 28 to an eccentric control device 29 which is mounted on the floor 1A and has a dog 30 which projects upwards through a hole 31 in the floor 1A. When it is desired to remove the inserts 13, a lever 32 having a slot 33- is fitted to the dog 30, and the eccentric control device 29 is turned so as to withdraw the pin 24 from the hole 19 in the flange 18. The inserts 12, 13 also carry components 7A, 7B of knife clips, and the latter are, of course, unlatched before the inserts 12, 13 are removed.

The length of each of the inserts 12, 13 is less than the length of each of the cut-outs 8, 9 so that an overlap between the table portions remains also in the expanded condition of the table, as shown best in FIG. 2.

The insert 13 is fitted and removed in the same manner as the insert 12, and similar parts on the insert 13 are indicated by similar numerals with the addition of the sufiix X. In FIG. 2, the knife clip 7 is shown spaced from the knives 4A, A for clarity.

Examples of how the end portions of the table may be mounted on the main portion of the table are set forth in our above mentioned specification. Thus, telescopic tubes may be use, or the end portions may have rods running between rollers on the main portion of the table, and contraction and expansion of the table may be effected by a hydraulic ram.

From the above, it will be seen that the table can be quickly and easily adjusted to its contracted and expanded conditions, and that the cutter bar assembly is operable in both said conditions.

Moreover, a number of tables of different widths may be assembled selectively from a small number of common parts illustrated in FIG. 3. To provide the basic parts, the end walls 2B and 3B of the end portions 2 and 3 have the outer ends of the cutter bar parts 5 and 6 secured thereto, and the outer extension pieces forming the floor and back wall of the end portions 2, 3 are removable, as shown. Thus the basic parts for table consist of the main portion 1, the intermediate cutter bar parts 12, 13, the right hand wall unit 2B, 5, designated generally 38, the right extension piece 20, the left hand wall unit 3B, 6, designated generally 39, and the left extension piece 3c.

The basic smallest table is of a width such that it need not be telescoped for transport and is diagrammatically illustrated in FIG. 4 and more fully in FIG. 7. The table 40 consists only of the main portion 1 and the right and left hand wall units 38 and 39.

The next size of table is telescoping at one side only, for instance the right hand side, and such a table is designated generally at 41 in FIGS. 5 and 8. In this instance the-units used are the main portion 1, the right hand wall unit 38, the left hand Wall unit 39 and the extension piece 20, together with one intermediate cutter bar part 12.

If it is desired to have the same size of table with the telescoping action at the left side, as indicated at 42 in FIG. 9, then a similar arrangement is used as for the table 41, with the exception that the left hand extension piece 3c is used instead of the piece 2c.

In the case of the largest table, which is telescopic at both ends and is indicated at 43 in FIGS. 6 and 10, all of the parts shown are used, including the two intermediate cutter bar parts 12, 13, to form the table which has been described above with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2.

I claim:

1. A crop-collecting table for a header for a mobile harvesting machine, comprising: a relatively fixed main portion, an end portion mounted on the main portion for movement to a position in which the table is in a contracted condition, a main cutter bar part on the main portion of the table, an end cutter bar part on the end portion of the table, an intermediate cutter bar part located between said main and end cutter bar parts, and means detachably mounting the intermediate cutter bar part to the main and end cutter bar parts to permit movement of said end portion of the table to the contracted condition upon detachment of the intermediate cutter bar part and permit operation of said main and end cutter bar parts in said contracted condition of the table.

2. A crop-collecting table as claimed in claim 1, including: a cut-out at the front edge of the main portion of the table forming a recess between the table portions, and including an insert for mounting said intermediate cutter bar part within said recess.

3. A crop-collecting table as claimed in claim 2, including: pins carried by the table and engaging in holes in the ends of the insert, one of the pins being withdrawable from its hole.

4. A crop-collecting table as claimed in claim 3, including: a rod slidably mounted on the table and carrying the withdrawable pin, an eccentric control device, and a connecting bar interconnecting the rod and the control device for movement thereby.

5. A crop-collecting table as claimed in claim 4, in which said insert includes: a rearward open-ended slot or slots supportably engaging said rod.

6. A crop-collecting table as claimed in claim 1, in which the main cutter bar part is located mid-way between the ends of the main portion of the table, the latter has at opposite ends recesses between the ends of the main cutter bar part and the ends of the main portion of the table, the main portion of the table has mounted thereon end assemblies, which are movable between positions in which the table is in a contracted or expanded condition, and which include end table portions, end walls, and end cutter bar parts which can be connected to the main cutter bar part in said contracted condition, said end cutter bar parts being secured to said end walls, said end table portions being removable from the end walls and from the main portion of the table, and said end walls. then being mountable directly on the main portion of the table with the end cutter parts occupying said recesses, whereby the table may have two movable end assemblies, or one movable end assembly and one fixed end wall, or two fixed end Walls.

-7. A crop-collecting table for a header comprising: a main portion having a main cutter bar at its front end and extending over less than the full width of the table; end walls on said table, at least one of said end walls including a laterally extending end cutter bar part mating with the cutter bar on the main portion to form a complete cutter bar across the full width of the table.

8. A crop-collecting table as claimed in claim 7, in which the main cutter bar part is situated substantially mid-way between the ends of the main portion of the table at the front edge thereof, and each end wall has an end cutter bar part.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 446,541 2/1891 Steward 56l59 1,340,868 5/ 1920 Aidlott'e 56300 2,224,970 12/ 1940 Lindgren et a1. 5615.9 2,658,319 11/1953 Hanson 562 ANTONIO F. GUIDA, Primary Examiner 

